I see it as a matter of courtesy and business sense
over the question of accomodating "any browser".
The first page of a site should aim to provide contact
information and other basic details, with as little graphical
content as acceptable. All navigation graphics should
have ALT text and there should be a text-only link for
"big" sites. I came away from http://www.pera.com
recently because it was basically sales spiel that wasn't
worth the download time, though the design was more
restrained than most. I would've been served better by
a textfile I could quickly scan -- instead I left.
Designers who don't comment-out their JavaScript rightly
claim that the vast majority use appropriate browsers,
so we need to present a reasoned argument to appeal
to their professional pride and/or sense of fair-play (the
reverse of Might is Right).
Professional pride should make them realize the additional
opportunities from escaping the whip-hand of proprietory
methods, and give kudos for doing the job well.
But hoping for consideration from thrusting young men chasing
a goldrush is only likely to leave us calling, "What about me?"
as the herd rushes by. Mature organizations like the BBC and
government departments are most likely to understand the plot,
maybe because they feel less accountable to "the bottom line".
Using the Net is important to all of us here, but there are parallel
aspects in "real life" that cause people very real problems. We
can learn from those campaigns how to make and win our point,
and when to realize that our point of view is too far out of kilter
and should perhaps only be exercised in our own, safe space.
My opinion is that Explorer is the easiest and most consistent
browser to design for. Its tolerance leads to genuine mistakes
being overlooked and shown up when validating in other browsers.
Navigator, Opera and Arachne all have their foibles. Explorer
has fewer. I've not looked at Lynx, NetTamer etc. in any depth.
Who's got the time? There would be far less junk mail if all
wordprocessed documents were hand coded HTML.
Jake
If you're having a bad day, consider the following:
The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez
oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of
the most expensively saved animals were released back into the
wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later,
in full view, they were both eaten by a killer whale.
